Question I received an e-mail of a desperate mother trying to find someone with the same problem she has been facing. Her son is 15 months and he is only 15.18 Lbs. This child has no food allergies and all the blood tests on him came back normal. The Hospital already tried to feed him with a probe but still he didnīt gain any weight. This baby has rejected any kind of food since he has been born. Thank you very much, I would really appreciate any help.
Answer It's really difficult to answer this by e-mail. I don't know his history--most importantly, his growth history. Is it just weight, or is his height and head size small, too. Has he always been small? If not, when did he start to slow down in weight? Any illnesses or other problems around that time, or otherwise in his history? What has he been fed? When you say he has rejected any kind of food, do you mean just solids, or liquids, too? How does he reject food--does he throw up, or turn his head away from food, or have diarrhea? Any respiratory problems?
It sounds like he needs a thorough evaluation by one or more specialists. At the very least, he should see a pediatric gastroenterologist, and probably a speech therapist with experience in feeding problems in babies. If he has had breathing problems or respiratory infections, he should see a pediatric pulmonary specialist, too, as cystic fibrosis is a possibility, too. A test for CF would not be a bad idea anyway--especially if he has diarrhea.
Hope this helps some. I'll be glad to comment further if you send more information.
